ISLAND VOICES

Days of Oahu-centric state may be ending

By Ray Tsuchiyama

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Jan 13, 2013

~~<p>From its inception, the Kamehameha dynasty ruled a centralized kingdom with a force that kept the Hawaiian islands tightly together, reflected even today in a statewide school board, totally unique in the United States, and the absence of mayors for some of Hawaii's cities.</p><p>In the pre-statehood era, only Maui had the audacity to campaign for the new state capital to be based on Maui, recalling Lahaina's glorious period as the kingdom's capital &mdash; but had to acquiesce to Oahu's accelerating dominance since World War II.</p>~~

From its inception, the Kamehameha dynasty ruled a centralized kingdom with a force that kept the Hawaiian islands tightly together, reflected even today in a statewide school board, totally unique in the United States, and the absence of mayors for some of Hawaii's cities.

In the pre-statehood era, only Maui had the audacity to campaign for the new state capital to be based on Maui, recalling Lahaina's glorious period as the kingdom's capital — but had to acquiesce to Oahu's accelerating dominance since World War II. Login for more...